MAKING CHANGE HAPPEN IN YOUR CAREER AND/ OR LIFE

Have you ever wanted to change something in your career or life but haven’t done so yet? Perhaps you have a vague notion of what you want or where you want to be but are not sure how to get there. In order for us to make change, we need to be clear about what we want to achieve. One of the tools, which may help you clarify your goal, is to visualise it. Many of us lead very busy lives and rarely get an opportunity to take time out for ourselves. In this article we are inviting you to sit back, relax and imagine.

Get yourself into a quiet space, where you can relax with no interruptions, where you have time to think about you alone. When you have finished reading this paragraph, we will ask you to close your eyes and imagine what your ideal balanced life would be like in five years time. Start by asking yourself the following questions.

Where are you living – what are your surroundings like? Where are you going to work? Is it near, is it far, and is it at home? Do you work every day or just some days? What does your workplace look like? Who else will be there? What sort of people are you meeting? What skills are you using? What purpose does your work have?

Are you looking forward to going to work? What is the atmosphere like? What do you see? Do you have a boss? What would you like your boss to be like? Do you have clients? What would you like your clients to be saying about you? Do you have colleagues? What are your colleagues like? What would you like your colleagues to be saying about you? What are you doing in your spare time?

Now, close your eyes and visualise your daily routine in five years time.

Now that you have a clearer picture of where you want to be, you can start making change happen for you. It is not always easy to get from where we are to where we want to be. As trainers and executive coaches, we realise how scary it is for people to have to make changes even if they are positive. Whatever the change is, it is likely to bring a degree of stress and discomfort. In our experience change has been most successful where clients have been effective in:

Making the goal achievable
If you wish to make a career change, you need to tackle your goal in small achievable steps. These could include reviewing your Curriculum Vitae, planning a means of developing new skills, having a discussion with your boss, etc.
Although your ultimate goal may be a few years forward, you want to plan it and break it down into simple steps that you can complete. This makes the change process far more manageable.

Overcoming fear and unrealistic hopes
People usually do not like the idea of creating stress for themselves or stepping outside their comfort zone. This fear can often keep us from making changes. The other factor, which can be a barrier to change, is hope itself. It is natural to hope that the problem will go away so that we don’t have to make changes. For example, we may hope that we will get promoted, win the lottery or that our manager will move on. Generally speaking though, the best predictor of the future is the past. Past performance is the best indicator of future behaviour. If you want to ensure that things will improve, you will need to commit to making changes.

Thinking positively
What is your inner voice saying to you? Is it saying I can change, I can try, I will achieve what I want to achieve or is it more negative. Listen to your inner voice and make it positive, affirm to yourself what you want through your visualization. The more positive you are, the more motivated you become to make the change. People make changes either because they see their will be a gain for them or because not changing will cause or continue to cause pain. To keep yourself motivated, focus on the gain your change will bring or the pain that will result from not making that change.

Using their resources
What resources and skills do you need to achieve your goal? Consider what is available to you. Where can you go to get more information or new skills? Is there anyone you can talk to? It is always useful to speak with someone who has already made a similar change. That way, you will know what to expect and how best to prepare.

Recognising their values, tolerations and boundaries
Values are who you are as a person. Whatever change you want to make, it should be done in line with who you are. If it is not, ask yourself what are you tolerating and why? Ask yourself ‘what is important to me?’ Generally, people will find it much easier to make changes that are in line with their own value system.

Learning from past lessons in change
We are all different. Effectiveness in change can depend on our individual approach. Consider something that you successfully changed in the past. What was it about your approach that made this change so successful? It is likely that the same technique will work again.

Seeking support
When making change, it is important to have support from people who want that change to happen for you. Be prepared. Support does not always come from the people you expect. This change you want to make may be in your best interest but may not be in theirs. For example, it is not always in the interest of a manager to see an excellent employee leave a team.

Using failure effectively
You will not always get it right first time. If making a career change, you may fail exams and interviews along the way. It is important to realize to what extent these so called ‘failed experiences’ have actually moved us on. The skills we acquire from small failures along the way often prove to be invaluable. As Albert Einstein says "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new".

Now, think about what steps you are going to take to reach your goal. It is useful to write these down and have realistic dates by which each step can be completed. How are you going to commit yourself to the your plan of action? How are you going to reward yourself when you have completed a step – a trip to the beauty salon or a bit of retail therapy works for some, a nice lunch with a friend works for others! You need to ensure that the change process is enjoyable wherever possible.

© Eimear Barry